Integrated circuit pressure transducers have been developed by utilizing equal resistive value piezoresistive elements on a single crystal silicon diaphragm. The operation of these devices is such that a change in pressure develops a strain in the silicon diaphragm which is effectively magnified by the diaphragm to vary the resistance of the piezoresistive elements.
In general, prior art pressure transducers used piezoresistors with relatively low resistances to minimize the effect of their temperature dependency. However, this practice adversely affects the pressure sensitivity of the piezoresistors. This invention allows the use of heretofore undesirable piezoresistors having a high temperature dependency along with a high sensitivity to pressure changes. This is achieved by the present invention by compensating for the ambient temperature to provide a pressure sensor having a high degree of accuracy along with a high pressure sensitivity.